interim thoughts...: Of Surveys...

Many suns ago, it so happened that one such door to door 'surveyors' had come to our house and on enquiry by mom, it turned out that he was a college student doing this in his vacation. I was promptly kicked out of an afternoon siesta to talk to him with an order to get the address and get out on the streets. It was my first 'job'. It was for one of those research agencies that operate out of a small office. We had to ask for women under the age of 35 for this survey. Imagine the dangers of a young man, knocking on doors and asking for the respondents of this category. Needless to say, there were many closed doors. At 15 rupees a form, it was quite a low paying job.But, it did teach me a lot. Selecting the right respondents for one, was critical. Here my multiple language skills came in handy. Since I could communicate with reasonable proficiency inHindi, English, Marathi and Malayalam I was able to get a decent hit rate. Walking in the Mumbai sun, trying to get some survey done was really some experience. And yes, since it was a huge 7 page survey, I did fill out some information myself. At the end of it, there was a carrot. We handed out a deodarant sample which was worth it for many participants. Although we were not supposed to reveal to the respondents that we would give a sample, some of the surveyors often used it as bait to get respondents.I remember it fondly, because it was my first 'job' in that sense. A summer well spent on learning "Emotional Intelligence", trying to talk to total strangers, putting on a smile even when one is frustrated and learning a little bit of empathy towards the door to door salesmen on whom we slam the doors ever so easily.Those days, few apartments had security guards, so it was easy to enter into an apartment (not more than one respondent per building, they said). These days, it is a lot more difficult to get a survey done. Wonder how they do it.

Youth Curry - Insight on Indian Youth: Mirror, mirror on the wall

Bennett Coleman & co (the publishers of the Times of India) would have us believe it is launching Mumbai's first "co-created newspaper". This, 2 months after DNA - Daily News and Analysis from the Zee-Bhaskar group - had plastered Bombay with its hoardings asking you to help create its soon-to-be launched newspaper.No doubt the DNA survey is more an exercise in making people feel their opinions matter than a serious exercise in market research. But, you know it has actually taken place. You've seen the surveyers in their purple uniforms, they've rung your doorbell - or that of someone you know.On the other hand, Bennett's 'massive direct contact program' is something I have learnt of through an article published on page 1 of today's Times of India. This does not mean that the almost-ready-for-launch Mumbai Mirror will not live upto its claim of being the 'first paper designed for - and by - the young Mumbai reader'. You don't have to survey 11 lakh people to design such a paper. The Mumbai Mirror has a good - and young - team in place which may well deliver on its promise of being a no-nonsense paper for the young.But in the same spirit of no-nonsense, why this nonsense that we-too-have-done-a-survey. The 'survey' idea is owned by DNA, by trying to appropriate it you become a me-too.Secondly, whatever survey Bennett undertook was at a scale far smaller than DNA. Hence it is likely to be viewed as a false or exaggerated claim. Which again is something young people are extremely allergic to. To thine own self...In actual fact, the 'Mumbai Mirror' survey is a door-to-door sales exercise. Says a student who is on the sales team," We are going to housing societies with the dummy copy and signing up subscribers. It is Re 1/- per day ie Rs 30 per month and we have to get a minimum of 8 subscriptions a day or we don't get paid for that day's work."Bottomline: If 'Mumbai Mirror' is to truly 'cut the faff and connect with the new reader of today' - as is its stated intention - it needs to treat the young with a great deal more respect! And it first needs to look into the mirror and be true to itself.by "youthcurry"...

MANDI@NITIE

Well we had our MANDI exercise today. It started from 10 in the morning and ended at 12:00 in the night. It was a direct selling exercise and i covered entire south mumbai giving demo to people af all caste & creed no matter to which strata of the society they belong... and i just enjoyed talking to ppl... connected with many of them... sales ho ya na ho baat karne mein mazaa aaya... in the end our group made a sales of 8200 Rs... and we have got a few prospective orders too :)
There was a huge coverage on Sahara channel today also there is 5 min coverage of this in CNBC hindi (AWAAZ) tomorrow at 8 am...also in many newspapers like asian age and all...IT WAS FUN!!Chaloo tired like a pig after wandering for almost 13 hours ...shall go to bed...

The Photo-Op!!

I am stillwaiting for my D day i.e. 20th July...Well the surprise tests here have started and as expected i am fairing badly at them :( but have to take that for the timebeing. Well to top it all have also started bunking lectures ;P

Yesterday we havehad 3 hours photo session... one group and one individual pic of allfor updating the NITIE website... and it was all fun... Navy BlueBlazers were compulsory and only 3 of us had it so the big hunt beganand in an hour all of managed to get hold of one from our benevolentseniors... then started the best fit challenge..ppl trying andexchanging them to get the one that fits them the best but in theprocess a few were doomed to suffer ;) And yeah the gals were supposedto wear sarees and God they took an hour to change into a Saree...Isit that time consuming?? or that the art of wearing a saree is gettinglost so everytime its a first time for girlzz :)Finally the entire batch of wud be managers were ready and it wastime for the final take of the group pic at a location which wasfinalised after a lot of delibration... three takes and the groupphotograph was done. Then started the agonizing queue for individualpics and i as usual have to wait for my turn till eternity coz my rollcall is 72 (since my school days have always had a tailender rollnumber no matter if you short the names by first names or surnames imaintain my position :)) And after 55 min of wait mera number aaya andsuddenly the photographer's cell buzzed and he went out with his cell :( for almost 10 minutes i was standing there looking at the lights for some time and then at the walls and contemplating on how all this trouble that i have endured for just a pic of gonna add value to me or any wud be managers ;)

THATS THE WAY IT IS....

Well thats me!

When I spread out my hand here today,
I catch no more than a ray
To feel of between thumb and fingers;
No lasting effect of it lingers.

There was one time and only the one
When dust really took in the sun;
And from that one intake of fire
All creatures still warmly suspire.

And if men have watched a long time
And never seen sun-smitten slime
Again come to life and crawl off,
We not be too ready to scoff.

God once declared he was true
And then took the veil and withdrew,
And remember how final a hush
Then descended of old on the bush.

God once spoke to people by name.
The sun once imparted its flame.
One impulse persists as our breath;
The other persists as our faith.

--Robert Frost

Back to School

27th June is the date to go in sunlights history book. It is the Day when he went back to school after 4+ years of sloging in various industries. But unfortunately for him it was all not so very smooth. Even today he is shuttling between his college(NITIE) and Company(MBT) and waiting for 20th July to get relieved from his professinal duties.